I'm moving

I am going to go ahead and make the change. I hope that I am not sorry for that, but oh well. It would not be the first time.

So, please update your links to my new word press blog if you are interested in keeping up.

http://bentcrank.wordpress.com/

New Year - new Blog

I am trying something new. Not sure if I plan on keeping it or not just yet. Only time will tell.

So, stop by my new Wordpress site and tell me what you think.
http://bentcrank.wordpress.com/

Happy birhday to me!!

First I have to start off on what I call a sad note. My trusty steed is going to be no longer. It's time has come and gone and it is now time to let someone else enjoy her. If it was up to me I would hold on to it just in case I would ever need her again, but there is too many ponies in the stable and the cabbage is running low. So, if anyone is in need of a sweet Surly 1x1 16" frame let me know. As soon as I get it tore apart and cleaned up, I plan on posting it on Dirt Rag and HMBA before I sink to ebay. So I raise my bottle to my first SS love and say my good byes.


The only good thing about good byes is there is always hello's that follow. I want to introduce my next pile of pleasure. My new Surly 1x1. But this time there are a few changes. This beauty is a 18" and not the 16" that I was riding. This one also has the options of using disc brakes where my old one does not. So, I hope that this is an overall improvement on a real good thing. Meet my new love.

2008

2008 had come and gone as everyone knows. Not sure it if will be any better in 2009, but one can only hope. I did a few things last year on the to do list, but not everything. I suppose that if I would end up doing it all I would just make a new list anyway.

Here are some things that I pulled off for 2008:

• Completed the RAIN ride (Not as fast as I think I could, but still had a good ride)
• Finished the 60 mile route in the Brown County Breakdown (I have been wanting to ride in this since the first one. I am glad it finally worked out this year)
• Completed the HMBA Century. (This is one hard century)
• Had a total of 2000 miles for the year. (That is the most I have ever done in one year)

For 2009 my plan is to not miss the HMBA Century or the Brown County Breakdown. I just hope to not be late for the century and the plan is to complete the 100 mile route on my SS for the BCBD. It does not matter if I do the RAIN this year or not. It all depends on what a few other people do. The rest is still up in the air. I would like to race a hundie some day and I would like to race the Tour de London since I didn't make it last year. The problem is I keep thinking why pay to race. I can take that money and take a trip to Pisgah or some place for some of the best riding one can do. I will just have to see.

Going to the darker side

Well I have started my journey to the even darker side then SS. I picked up an old Schwinn 10 speed at a yard sale this fall for the staggering price of $0. I finally started to work on it tonight. here is the original image.


I completely striped it down to the frame, fork and stem/bars. I have a lot of cleaning to do before I can start to put it back together. I also have to figure out what gear to put on it. I think I have some cranks that I can use with a 42t front ring, but I will have to see if that works out. I think the BB might be different. Lots of work yet.

I also made a big decision today. I will not be throwing my hat in to the 29er game. I don't normally have a lot of extra money laying around to really get what I want, so when a option that I have been throwing around in my head actually showed up, I had to jump on it. I just purchased a newer Surly 1x1 frame and fork. The one that I am riding right now is a 16" and a little on the small side for me. The other problem with the current 1x1 is that it does not have the disc brake tabs. That is not a complete deal breaker, but when fall comes around I just hate getting all those leaves stuck. That also opens the door for me to pick up a set of 650b wheels and make the 1/2 jump. That will not happen for a little bit unless I happen to sell a lot of stuff.

I just posted a link to some parts on Dirt Rag, but I have more stuff that I need to clean up and post. The one thing that is bad with this new frame is the fact that I don't have an extra set of disc brakes lying around. Even if I did, my old Palmer fork does not have the disc brake tabs either. So, if you happen to have an old fork collecting dust in the garage or some mechanical disc brake calipers from where you upgraded to hydro's let me know. But, I warn you, I am bargain shopping. Unless you need any of my parts or a Proflex frame. :-)

First ride of 2009

I made it out for my first ride of the year. After Friday's weather teasing me all day, I knew I just had to get out for a ride today. The weather was not looking as good as Friday, but good enough. The weather was supposed to be 45 degree, but there was a chance of scattered rain. I looked like I could get a good ride in with out getting wet, but that was not the case. I started out with out a real plan of a route. A little bit in to the ride I saw a rider coming from the other way. I waved and said hi. That is when I noticed who it was. I was Linda, a biker buddy that I have not rode with much the last year or so. That is when i knew I should turn around and chase her down.

It wore me out to catch her, but she was going at an easy pace since it had been a while for her to get out. That didn't bother me. I was just happy to be riding and not alone. We did some catching up as we pedaled. I did some adjusting on her brake to help it from rubbing and I tried to pull the best that I could. Not long after the brake work we started to feel some sprinkles. They were light and it was not bothering me too much. The sprinkles changed how hard then were coming down and how often for the next few miles. After a little bit it started to come down a little harder. Linda was not feeling like riding too much farther so we turned toward her home. After she turned off, the rain seemed to let up. So, I headed a little farther out in stead of toward home. Everything was going real good until I was just about home and it really started to come down. That put my last half an hour of my ride in a down pour.

It was still great to get out, but I could have done with out the hard rain. I could have gone a little farther, but it was still good to get 30 miles in. I just hope to get some more miles in January.

I'm mobile

Well, I finally picked up a laptop. I have been wanting one for a while, but never had the cabbage. I didn't really have it this time, but what the hell.

Well this has not been the complete bliss that I had hoped it would be. Yea, it is great to be able to surf anywhere in the house or on the deck grilling supper. But, there have been some snags. The main reason I could work this in is because the plan was to be able to do work more places. I do a lot of work from home and tied down to the computer. This was supposed to let me do work more then just at home. This was the start of the problems. Good old Vista does not work too well with some programs. I already knew that Autocad would not run on here, but I was ok with that. But, my drawing viewer does not work and I have been having lots of trouble using my Quark too. I need to upgrade to a newer version of Quark and that should fix the problem. I have to work on that.

I went to put my riding program on here the other day. I searched the web and it says it is not certified to work, but several people are using it with out any problem. So, I start the install. I don't have any trouble getting it to work and run. Ha, so much for the problems. Then I felt a red spot accross my face where I was slapped with out warning. The IR device will not operate with this program under Vista. So, the convienence of having a built in IR port did me absolutly no good. So, I have uninstalled the Polar software and decided that it really does not matter. Not like I can do anything about it. I even tried to install my USB IR device and that does not have Vista drivers and tells me it is useless. So much for the complete bliss and champain flowing. I will have to settle with this just being a good way to play Texas Hold'em on facebook. Oh well, is still does the normal things.

I hope everyone has a safe and Happy New Year!!!

On the road again

I have not been riding much the last few weeks. The weather or things going on have not worked out together to let it happen. Some time off is not all that bad, but I know I need to keep my foot in the door. When I heard the weather was warming up again for a day or two, I knew I had to get out. Friday was warmer, but it was rainy all day. I figured I would hold my breath and see what Saturday had to offer.

Good thing too. I woke to 65 degree weather and not currently raining. The roads were still wet, but that is better then raining. So, I suited up and headed out. I could hardly keep the grin down on my face. It was so nice to be out on the road again. Actually, just riding the bike felt good. With the trails being so wet, this is the only way it can happen.

I had a normal route planned. Nothing too hard. The wind was a little noticeable when it tried to blow me off the road. But, at the 20 mile mark I finally turned south. Wow!! the wind was really blowing. I never felt that when it was tail wind. Here I am at a long stretch of road with on heck of a head wind. There were times that it was all I could do to hold 10 mph.

I finally make it south as far as I needed to and headed back east toward home feeling completely whipped. Turns out the just over 30 mile route ended up being 40 miles. I didn't think that little change would have made that much difference. The temps were up to 70 degrees and there was a wind advisory warning out with gusts up to 34 mph!! No wonder it felt like I was rolling backward at times.

Overall it was just great to be back riding. My legs hurt and I could not be happier. Nothing like riding in shorts in December. Hard to believe since it was just 7 degrees less then a week ago. I can only hope to get back out soon.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone. I hope you all have a nice Christmas and get everything that you asked for. I am sure that I won't get everything, I just hope that I get some good stuff. I know I won't get everything because a winning lottery ticket is on the top of my list and that is something that is hard to come by. The people that have that usually don't want to give it up. Especially to me!

The first thing I would do is buy a few new bikes. Then I would have to get me a house or apartment in Brevard, NC. That would cover most of my wishes.

I hope everyone has a safe holiday season.

Time is crazy for the holiday's

Well I have not made it out for a ride since my last ride that was worthless. I have thought about it a few times, but other things have been in the way. I sure hope to get out again before the end of the year. Not sure if that will happen with the weather getting nasty. But I am sure the weather will change again as it normally does.

I hope to start getting in better shape this winter so I can start off the new year better then past years. I really don't have racing on the schedule like I do every year at this time. I normally think up a big schedule that I want to race and normally end up not racing anything. So, this year I am going to try and not do that so maybe I end up racing something. I just never know. I still would like to participate in a hundie one year. Maybe this is the year. I also know that I will be asked to ride in the RAIN ride again this year, but I really don't care if I do. I have done it and that was the goal. if I ever do it again, the plan would be to do a lot better time. We will have to see.

bottom of the barrel

I made it out to Ferdinand again for a ride. My cold finally got the best of me after coughing and stuff for the last week. I was only doing one lap, but that was hard enough. I could not get enough air in my lungs to keep me going. I thought I was going to pass out and that was just over 1 mile in to the trail. I ended up doing close to a complete lap, but I sure had to take a lot more breaks then I would have liked. I was just glad that I didn't take the SS for this ride. The granny was too much for most of the climbs. This was very dissapointing after was I just did the last weekend in Pisgah. I sure am glad that I was not in that condition for that ride. It would have been a wasted trip.

The Indiana Dino series has released there schedule for 2009. Here is a list of the races.
5/2 Warsaw: Winona Lake Trail
5/31 Nashville: Brown County State Park
6/13 Fort Wayne: Franke Park
7/5 North Vernon: Muscatatuck Park
7/26 Versailles: Versailles State Park
8/16 Logansport: France Park
9/5 Indianapolis: Town Run Trail Park

Other Mountain Bike Events
4/11 DINO Spring Tuneup, Avon
9/19 24 Hours of DINO, Versailles State Park

Too bad all of the races are a little farther then I would like. I would not mind traveling for a few, but for every race would be a bit much. Maybe I will take the 3 hour drive and check out the Versailles trail for the 24 hour race or maybe not. I would prefer to just take more trips to Pisgah for some full weekend rides. Normally the kids have something going on that would keep me from most of the races anyway.

Pisgah!!!

What a weekend!! I could not ask for much more. The weather was scheduled to be better then home, but still could have been a little cold and wet. Everything worked out and I could not have asked for much better weather. Things were a little wet on Friday, but not as bad as I thought it was going to be.

The whole weekend is one big blur as usual. I have a hard time remembering what trail we are on, where we are going or where we have been. The only thing that I could remember is we either are climbing or will be just around the bend.

This is what I am told we did on Friday. We started up Pilot Rock for 100 yards or so and hopped on Pilot Cove - Pilot Cove Connector/loop to 1206 - Laurel Mtn trail - Pilot Rock. It was right around a 6 hour tour. Good thing it was not any longer since we were running out of day light. It was starting to get dark way earlier then planned. It probably had to do with all of the overcast, rain and fog. The darkness made the decent down Pilot Rock even more interesting then normal. But, everything worked out with out any major problems.

Saturday was a bigger day in the saddle. The ride ended up right at 8 hours and took the lights along this time because we knew we would need them. The day was up from gauging station on South Mills River to Black mtn. - left to Turkey pen - back on and down South MIlls River to Mullinux to Squirrel gap and then back to South Mills River. That was a hard fun day. He said there is normally issues with runnning out of water in the summer, but the weather was better and no one had any issues and the lights held up. I was getting a little nervous when we were riding in the dark and I kept seeing those Bear sactuary signs. Every little noise I heard I kept thinking I was prime pickins to be some bear food. I was the slower one of the group so I kept falling off the back just waiting to be supper.


Sunday was planned to be a short day so we could head on home. The weather showed it was going to be the coldest day of our trip. I woke up cold and bundled up to handle it. The problem was it really did not get as cold as it sounded and the snow was not in that area. So, I peeled all the layers off that I could fit in my bag and just dealt with what was left.
Sunday we moved from our prime parking area and went up to the ranger's station. From there we went up Claw Hammer road to Pressley Gap - right on Black Mountain trail to the M loop. From there we went down Sycamore cove to finish the ride off. It was close to 5 hours in the woods.

There are so many trails we did not hit I can't even imagine what I would do if I lived there. I have decieded that I am not waiting 4 years to go back. I need to make another trip before the end of the mystery machine's winter tour.

If you have never been there, it is a must for any serious bikers. Pisgah puts the mountain back in mountain biking. It kind of puts all these hills around here in perspective. I just wish it was not 9 hours away.

South bound toward Pisgah town

I can't believe that I am actually going to be riding in Pisgah tomorrow. I can hardly wait. It has been since 2004 that I was first down there. The weather does not look too good, but it will be all smiles to be riding there again.

Three full days of riding. That should get my November miles up to where they should be or at least my hours on a bike. I just hope my sinuses straighten out by then or it will be on heck of a hacking time. Should be worth every cough.

Back in the saddle again!

I have not been on a bike since the BCBD. I have tried, but it just has not worked. With the hunting season underway and the night falling faster with the time changes, the weekly wed. night rides have started. I could not make it last week, but I knew I needed to get out this week. I have been going stir crazy not getting out.

Since I knew who would be attending, I decided to take the Giant because I know I can't keep up with them on the SS because we are riding Ferdinand. It has been a long time since I rode that bike last, but it was rolling fairly smooth considering all the things that could go wrong with it. I did figure out that I probably need to move my seat forward because I was having trouble keeping my front end down on the climbs. Speaking of the climbs, that thing sure seemed to climb slow. I don't know if it was because I could not put the power down that I wanted too or was it just because I was used to riding the SS or even the fact that I have not been on a bike in 4 weeks? Hard to tell, but probably a little of all three.

After riding tonight and thinking about the possibility of riding Pisgah real soon has me kind of thinking. I know I want to work on getting a new bike for next year, but should I get a kick ass 29er or should I get a bigger gearie that would be good for the bigger places? I know people ride SS and even fully rigid at Pisgah, but I also know they walk. I am not above walking some, but if it is a lot then that would be too much. The perfect solution would be to get both, but there is no chance to come up with that much money. Maybe I just need to grow some nads and really get to climbing the SS. Maybe not.

Winter is on the way

Man the weather sure changed last night. It is starting to feel like winter is just around the corner. Oh well, I will deal with it as I can.

I have been worthless for the last two weeks. I went 4 wheeling in WV, but I have not rode a bike for too long. I really want to get out before shotgun season opens. When that happens, I will have to hit the road.

I have been eye balling the 29ers since the breakdown. I really want to get on one soon. The problem I am having is finding something reasonable. All the good deals I find are too big. I either need a small or medium frame depending on stand over height. I checked out a few 18" bikes and they were border line too tall. I could ride it just fine, but I was not comfortable with the stand over clearance. All the other bikes that are on the cheap side are not that great. I really want something chromolly and would prefer a shock on the front. It is crazy that I can find a FS geared bike cheaper then a hard tail SS! It must be the demand.

Brown County Breakdown break down

The 4th annual Brown County Breakdown is in the books and what a day it was. There were no complaints about the weather. Nice and cool in the morning and perfect all afternoon. There were 325 people signed up, but with no shows and everything I think the starting total was close to 300. I don't have the break down of who rode what route yet, but there were several people who made it to the cabin.

I originally wanted to tackle the 100 mile route. I still think I could have done that, but it would have been a different ride then what I did. After our shakedown ride at BC two weeks ago it was decided that the 100 might be a bit much for the group. So the goal was changed to me riding the 1x1 and us riding close to 70 miles (we were going to modify the 60).

I was very happy with how I was riding. I few up to Hesitation Point despite all of the early traffic on the trail holding me up. Normally I would have just sat back and went with the flow, but the SS has a mind of its own. There are some spots that momentum is a bigger deal than others and that wore me out more then I wanted it. I did pass several riders and ended up on the ride and smile train. That was just about right and we cruised up to HP. At that point I decided I should stop there and wait for the rest of the group and parted ways with R&S.

After a little break and checking out some sweet looking 29'ers that included one belt drive Spot, the rest of the group showed up and we were ready to press on. The next section was still fun as one could imagine. From there I flowed up to the camp ground area and settled in to wait for the group.

After the camp ground we headed down the road just a little to meet up with a horse trail. I was not sure about how the horse trail would be, but it was not bad at all, kind of like a fire lane. That tied into a private trail that took us down to the cabin. The cabin was a great rest stop. There was music playing and good food to snack on. After the re-group and rest, one of the group decided that was the end of the line for him, so Jim headed back toward the park. That left Damon and myself to decide the rest of the ride. I think this was the point that we were thinking that our idea of riding Nebo back and not Combs Road was a bad idea. This was later confirmed as we made it to Maumee rest stop and decided to head in on Combs rd.

It was great to be back on Nebo. It has been a while since I rode there and this was the first time I was sitting 25 miles into the ride when I was heading in to that trail. The trail was a little harder then I remembered, but that might have something to do with how far I had already gone. I was still riding well and stretching the gap on Damon between re-group spots.

At this point the amount of riders were thined out alot and we kept running in to the same groups. One group even had a rider peal off and join us because the other group was going a little farther then we were. Before we were done with Nebo the one turned in to two other riders. That is fine with me, the more the merrier.

Back at the cabin for the second time I was beginning to wonder how well I would ride the rest of the way. A refill of liquids and some fresh hot pizza got me read to head out. I had to tell Damon no matter how hard he begged, I was not bringing the truck back to pick him up! LOL
The hill from the cabin is just brutal. Almost straight up and fairly long. I decided that I neede to walk that one. I don't think that anyone actually made it up that hill.

The trip in there there was getting a little hard to remember. All I know was I was ready for that beer at the truck! I cruised in to the pool parking lot ready for a break. I dropped my gear and grabbed a beer and sat for a spell. After I cleaned up and changed we went over to grab some of the good grub that was being served along with a few more beers. When I went and picked up my shirt and glass I found out that I won a door prize and picked up a nice pair of Salsa socks.

Overall it was a great day in the woods. I think I could have finished sooner if the re-groups would not have been there, but it was good to not be alone out here (if you can call riding with 300 other people alone). I ended up with right at 60 miles in and only walked on 3 hills. I didn't get hurt too bad except I did knee my stem once when I spun out on a loose rock.

I highly reccomend this ride to anyone! If you are not in super human condition you should at least try to make it to the cabin. I am more mad at myself then I was before about not making the first 3 breakdown rides. Hats off to all that made this ride happen. There was a lot of work that went in to this and it is much appreciated! I can't wait til next year!!!!

Back in Ferdinand

I went out to Ferdinand on Sunday to see how the train clean up was going. The forest service had all of the big trees cut and some other kind souls moved most of the smaller limbs. So, the trail was in great shape. It could use a little more rain and less leaves, but who is to complain.

With the trail being so good I would have been much happier if the legs were in as good as shape as the trail, but not today. I took the SS out being stoked as to the killer ride I put in Monday at BCSP. Granted, Ferdy is not like BCSP, but I thought my legs would have a better showing then they did. I was miserable for the whole ride! I mean the whole ride. Even the gravel road leading up to the first trail head. I thought the legs would shake out after a little and things would go smoother, but that really never happened. They got better, but that was only up to sub-par performance.

The performance was so bad it has me re-thinking about riding the SS for the Brown County Breakdown next weekend. I am not sure what to do just yet. I know if I ride the geared bike I would not be fully happy. I just love riding my SS. I also know if I am as weak as I was this ride I would be in for a very long day. There probably only a few sections that I would have trouble with the SS on this route. Most of that I don't see being an issue since we will not make it there. The other stuff I have never seen, so it is hard to tell.

After touching base with the sofa rider, it looks like the concensus is for me to ride the SS with the plan to only ride the 65 mile route. Even at that, it will be a big day on the bike. Should be a good measure for my future racing hundies. We will have to see.

Brown County State Park

I finally rode some of the new stuff at BCSP. It has been a few years since I was last there. The original two loops are a blast. They are the closest thing I can find to a trail being down hill both directions!! That is hard to do, but this trail is as close as it get's. Nothing but smiles and smooth lines.

But, the trail workers have been very busy since then. They have added Hesitation Point Trail, Campground connector trail and they are trying to finish up the expert loop. Let's just say I was not disappointed with the new stuff. Both directions of Hesitation Point and the campground trail are a complete blast!! There are some wood bridges, rock gardens and rock bridges thrown in between the smooth ups and downs just to keep it interesting. So much of the trails here are just like riding a roller coaster. You can pump the back sides of the dips and curves to keep enough momentum that it seems like you never pedal.

The new expert section is like nothing I have seen in the area. Technical sections and very tight singletrack sections that have big consequences. This section is not done, but what is done is great!! This section is not reccomended for beginners. There is some true bike skill that is needed to make it through this part. Even with skill, I am sure there will be more then one *oh shit* moment.
Here is a link to a video that is some of the expert section Some areas were not completed yet.

Expert Trail Video

Note: Don't be fooled by how easy Ron makes this section look.

The picture above is one of the rock bridged that are optional sections of trail.

The complete trail with Hesitation Point and the campground trail rode both ways, the ride was 35 miles of smiles.

Damn you Ike!!

I took the 1x1 out to Ferdinand on Saturday for a quick ride. I was not sure of the condition of the trails, but I really needed to ride. The ride didn't get off to a good start. The first section of singletrack had a tree down right away. I moved it out of the way and continued on. Not too far down the trail I found another tree down. I moved what I could and noticed that just up the trail was another one down. So, instead of riding, I just pushed my bike a few feet and proceeded to work on the next tree. I could not clear everything, but it was down to only a few sections that you actually had to get off. So, back on the bike and rolling again it looked as things were starting to go good. Then I felt something and noticed my front tire going flat!! Probably all the debis that I was plowing over. I worked my way to a little clearing that was just up the trail, but not with out moving more sticks as I went.

I made quick work of the tire and was off heading down the trail again. Still plenty of sticks all over the place. The next section of fire lane was not too bad, only a few more big trees down. I still moved the bigger stuff out of the way that I could not ride around or over. It was a good ting I had my SS since I did have one stick that stuck right in the back stay and surly would have ripped a derailleur off. I was then bombing down a hill with clear sailing ahead. Something grabbed my bike and slowed it down a lot. I found myself up close and personal with my front tire and both hands off of the bars. I looked around a little bit waiting on my big crash, but after it didn't happen right away, I figured I should just sit up and grab the bars again. I felt real lucky with that one!! I felt even luckier after the pain started to settle in where I hit my stem. I then realized that 2 more inches lower and I would have had my bits scattered all over the trail. Sheesh!

I proceeded to cross the road and head down fire lane 7. Not too far down the trail there was another tree down, but I could clear it with out too much problem. The trail was in fair condition after that. Still a ton of limbs down, but only one or two places I had to do a lot of work. Right near the end of the newer section of trail that ends up at the house, I ran in to a wall of trees. That section was in real bad shape. Probably 8 to 10 trees in a real short section of trail. Good thing it is close to a parking area.

After I worked my way around all of the trees and down to the shelter house, I figured out that it took me 2 hours to go 5 miles. How is that for some good average!! I was on somewhat of a limited time schedule and was wore out from moving all the big trees that I decided to take the dreaded road back to the car. So, I was greeted with the nice and steep road climb toward the camp ground and then the gravel road back to the car. Over all it was great to get out even with all the hastles. Next time I will have to pack a folding bow saw in my pack.

I am sure there is still plenty of work to be done on the other trails, but they will have to wait another day.

Wind blew the weekend away.

Well, the wind from IKE really messed up my plans for a ride. The schedule was to ride Ferdinand on Sunday with the SS and see if last week was a fluke. Now I guess I have to wait another week to find out. I could go out Wed. night, but I still have a lot to pick up in the yard. Tons of sticks and limbs laying all over the place. If my yard is like that, I am sure there are more trees down across the trail. If so, that will make the next ride really suck.

I have gone and done it. I am signed up for the Brown County Breakdown. I registered for the 100 miler, but we will have to see how the day ends up. We will need to keep the pace to finish in the allotted time. Also, I am still kicking around the idea of riding the SS. I know there are a few places with some hills, but it is all just riding.